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These were matters for speculation. Prolonged Russian resistance would remove them from the realm of speculation, if in the meantime there was no slackening of the British war effort or of the U.S. effort to arm. Yet within the realm of speculation also was the possibility, if Russia proved unexpectedly tough, that the U.S. and Britain would hold their fire, hoping that Hitlerism and Communism would destroy each other. This hope was present at Munich in 1938.
Eden Answers. Such matters of speculation may have been in the mind of Britain's Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden last week as he arose to address an open-air meeting at Leeds. Anthony Eden, no appeaser, may have feared a peace drive; he may have feared that if it came Britain would have no adequate answer ready. He spoke of the necessity of looking ahead, of planning "a truly new order" to stand against Hitler's new order of force. Then he gave Britain's answer to the peace drive in advance:
"We are all out to beat Hitler. We will not let go till we have done the job.
". . . We anticipate that Hitler, at a moment he considers opportune during his campaign in Russia, will seek to present himself in another of his occasional theatrical roles. This time his make-up will be that of a man of peace. Internal conditions in Germany will make this false posturing necessary for him for a spell. . . .
"It might, therefore, be useful that I should now state the position of His Majesty's Government in respect to any peace offer by Hitler. . . . We are not in any circumstances prepared to negotiate with him at any time on any subject. We shall intensify our war effort until he and all he stands for are utterly destroyed. There is no room on the earth's surface for Hitler's way of life and ours."